Can I Ever Be With You?
by Yuuram von Bielefeld-Shibuya
Summary: Lyon is deeply in love with his best friend, Gray, but when his father forces him away from home for more than a year, Lyon becomes an anxious wreck in his efforts to keep focused while being tired and just wanting to confess to his crush. Every chance he gets ends up being interrupted and he's near enough ready to give up when he hears about Natsu. But can he have a chance anyway?


**I know there's like two other fanfics like this and I'm sorry for not being original but I just wanted to do one for myself...? I am coming out with some new stuff before the end of the year though! I'm working really hard on them so just be patient? Again, sorry for the unoriginality but I just really needed to get this out of my head so badly.**

* * *

"Please, no! Father, you can't be serious!"

"Lyon, this is my final decision and you will do as you're told! It's just a trip away for just over a year. It's not going to kill you".

"It might as well! Do you have any idea what you're doing?! You're taking me away from everything I know! I have friends, a good reputation at school. I have a _life_ for crying out loud! No. No, this isn't fair at all!"

Yule sighed heavily and looked up from reading his book in the large armchair that sat by the fireplace in the lounge. He glared at his son firmly. "I think your reputation with being the family's heir is more important than the one you've made for yourself at school, don't you?"

"What about my friends? They'll forget about me! I'm already pretty much an outcast within the group, this will end everything!"

"Then you'll just have to man up and make new friends, won't you? Now go and pack your things. You'll be back here before you know it".

Lyon silently cursed under his breath as he stormed out of the room and walked along the halls of his family's mansion so he could jog upstairs to his own room. Sometimes he really hated his father. They had never had the most closest of relationships, and they would often bicker over the smallest things. But moving away for over a year was definitely _not_ a small thing.

He threw himself on his king-sized bed and closed his eyes, throwing the back of his arm over them. It wasn't just because he was leaving his group of friends behind that had him so worked up. He was going to be leaving someone very special - someone he considered the most important person in his life and lived every second for them. Poor Lyon was deeply in love. He had been for the past four years, ever since they'd met in middle school, but he'd never gathered enough courage to tell them his feelings. His father knew he was close with this person, but only his mother knew of his real affections. Lyon was so desperate to tell his special person just how much he loved and cared about them, but for some reason something always seemed to stop him.

Either he'd be interrupted by the stupidest things like a phone call, a text message buzzing, a classmate calling for his attention to ask a question - anything to kick the mood down to neutral and bury the moment at his feet.

He felt tears beginning to slide down his face and quickly wiped them away with a shuddery sigh as he sat up. This wasn't how his love life was supposed to go. He wasn't supposed to lose this person. But that was what was going to happen apparently - they just weren't meant to be, he guessed. His heart ached painfully enough as it was, and now the pain felt near enough unbearable.

He watched as his door opened and his mother walked in with a sympathetic look in her eyes, despite the fact she was smiling. She came and sat down beside him and wrapped an arm around his shoulders, pulling him so he leant against her with his head on her shoulder. Her free hand gently brushed his hair back that had fallen over his eyes and brushed around to cup his cheek and stroke her thumb over the skin gently.

"Oh Lyon, I know this is hard for you, baby. But I believe in you. Here," Shard dove her hand into her pocket on her cardigan and pulled out his phone, handing it over to him to which he took gratefully. "You left it downstairs. I think you can at least text your friends and tell them what's going to happen, hm?"

"It's not fair Mother. This is going to ruin everything! More than a year? They'll end up forgetting all about me!"

"Now that's just nonsense and you know it, sweetie" Shard's tone turned a little firm. "They've been your friends for a long time, especially him. I guarantee he wouldn't let you go in exchange for anything in the world".

"Sometimes I wish I'd never fallen for him. Why him? Why couldn't it have been Sherry when I was with her and the two dimwits? I love him so much...and it hurts like nothing I've ever felt before. I just...I can never get the perfect time to tell him how I feel".

"Then do it now, my darling. Text him on his own, outside that group chat you have. And then when we come back, you can tell him in person again, how does that sound?"

"Tell him I love him and then come back to find he's moved on and forgotten all about it? No thanks..."

Shard sighed and kissed his head gently, rubbing his shoulder comfortingly. "Lyon, even if he doesn't feel the same way - and I've seen the way that boy's eyes sparkle at merely the mention of your name - then at least you would've told him. He'll know how you feel and then it'll make things a bit easier. Believe me, keeping it to yourself doesn't help in the long run". She carefully stood up and smiled adoringly at him. With a silent goodbye for now, she left the room and shut the door with a soft click.

Lyon wiped at his eyes briefly and looked at his phone. He might as well tell his friends. He swiped this thumb across his phone's screen and put in the security code to unlock it. He opened up the group chat and saw that everyone else was online - as usual when they were apart. He couldn't help the tiny smile and small dusting of blush that appeared on his face when the first message came through.

 **Gray:** Lyon! You're online!

 **Lucy:** Ooh someone has been worried for the past how many hours?

 **Erza:** Five and counting

 **Gray:** Hey no fair. So what kept you?

 **Lucy:** Wow and he wants details

 **Gray:** Stfu Lucy

 **Lucy:** :(

 **Lyon:** Umm... I've got something I need to tell you all

 **Erza:** Go on?

 **Lyon:** We're moving away for just over a year. I don't know how long exactly. My dad's making me go against my will

 **Lucy:** Aww that's too bad Lyon! We're gonna miss you like crazy!

 **Jellal:** Yeah man, it'll be weird not having you around

 **Levy:** Are you sure there's nothing you can do to stay?

 **Loke:** Lyon's dad's a pretty strict guy, I doubt there's anything he can do

 **Erza:** Loke's right there. No offence Lyon

 **Lyon:** None taken, my dad can be a right asshole for sure

 **Lucy:** Gray? Are you alright? You've gone awfully quiet...

 **Gray has gone offline.**

 **Loke:** Ouch. Someone's sore from the news

 **Levy:** You know how close Lyon and Gray are! He just needs some time to register what's going on, that's all

 **Lyon:** I'm pretty sure my dad is going to confiscate my phone for the majority of the time we're there. My mum might be able to let me have it for an hour or two some days though. I've gotta pack. So...see you guys someday maybe... Tell Gray I'm sorry...

 **Lyon has gone offline.**

Lyon sighed and got up, chucking his phone down onto the bedsheets lightly and went to drag his suitcase out of his wardrobe so he could pack his things up. Although after he'd packed one case full of clothes and the other was half full of his more personal things such as his laptop (a spare that was used solely for his homework, studying and any business work his father gave him) and some textbooks and notebooks he was bound to need, he heard his phone vibrate with the arrival of a message. He abandoned his packing and went to answer it. To a bit of his surprise, it was Gray.

 **Gray:** Why?

 **Lyon:** I don't have a choice... If I could stay I would, you know that! Gray...there's something I need to tell you... I couldn't tell you where the others could see but it's dead important

 **Gray:**...I have somewhere I need to be. You can tell me when you get back. If you ever get back...

 **Lyon:** I will come back! Gray, honest to God I need you to listen to me

 **Gray:** Sorry Lyon. I have to go...

Lyon let his phone drop out of his hand and land on the bed with a soft thump. Did Gray really have somewhere to be where they couldn't talk? Or was he really just upset and not knowing how to deal with it? They'd been friends for a very long time and over that time, they had been known for spending their time in one another's company with only the night's separation and when they weren't in the same class at school. Lucy often teased them about being more than friends, to which they would both end up flustered and Gray had choked on his drink once or twice before.

Everything was going to Hell.

Once he was done packing, he switched his phone off reluctantly and went downstairs for dinner and to hand it over to his mother. He barely ate, his appetitie having disappeared sharply as soon as the plate had been place in front of him. It wasn't long before he pushed his plate away, claiming he wasn't hungry, and dragged himself up to his room again. This would be his final night here until who knows when.

* * *

The drive to their new temporary home was a long one out into the middle of nowhere it seemed. And not just because they'd ridden there in their limo - courtesy of Yule. Lyon felt depressed by every second ever since he'd woken up that morning. It was around noon now. Finally the limo pulled up outside the new place and Lyon didn't even care to take in a proper sight of it. He was going to be locked up in an isolated bedroom for the time he was here - why get used to the scenery?

Shard put a comforting hand on his shoulder once he'd gotten out. She knew how hard this was for him, and he was grateful for that. "It'll be alright, sweetheart, you'll see. Did you tell him last night?"

Lyon shook his head. "I tried. He said he was busy and had to be somewhere. What's even the point? If he didn't want to know then, he won't want to hear in over a year's time". He sighed and grabbed his suitcases, dragging them along their wheels up the fairly long driveway and letting his father show him to his room.

The room was near enough completely empty aside from a dusty bookshelf, a desk by the window, a dresser and the bed. A lamp sat on the side of the dresser and a desk lap was sat by the window. Lyon took his cases in and thought he might as well begin to unpack. He put away his clothes and set up his laptop and notebooks on his desk for the morning when his studying would begin. 5:30am sharp. His father could be downright cruel to him at times, he believed.

Once he was done, Lyon simply laid down on his bed and read one of the books he'd brought along with him for leisure until he was called for dinner. Due to how much his father would make him study each day, he knew that from tomorrow onwards all his meals would be brought up to his room by his mother.

The next year was going to be absolute torture.

* * *

It had been a long, exhausting eleven months when Shard brought Lyon his phone. Yule had left the house for a few hours to go and check out a local estate that was being revamped - a potential business opportunity - and so Shard had decided it would be the best time for Lyon to take a much needed break. She couldn't help but smile sympathetically when she saw his dull eyes brighten up at the sight of the device. She said nothing as she dropped it in his hands and ruffled his hair lovingly before leaving him in peace again.

Lyon fumbled to turn the phone on in a hurry. He blinked slightly when the light shone up into his tired eyes and lowered the lighting before unlocking it. He left it for awhile to let all the messages and notifications come through - ignoring them once they'd finished clogging up his phone - and then proceeded to dial one number specifically. He had this chance, he couldn't lose it like he had all the others. He at least wanted to hear his favourite voice in the world. And in just a few months he'd be able to see that handsome face again.

 _"Hello...?"_

"Gray? It's me".

 _"Lyon?! You're alive after all!"_

"Heh, yeah surprisingly I am" He chuckled a little breathlessly. His heart was pounding in his chest with a happy _ka-thump ka-thump_ at hearing his crush's voice. "Are you busy?"

 _"Err, kinda I guess? I mean, I was just getting ready to go out with Natsu this afternoon to the movies but I have time to talk"._

"Natsu?" Who was Natsu? Lyon's heart began to thump wildly for a reason other than happiness - fear.

 _"Oh, right, you don't know, do you? Natsu's a transfer student! He arrived a little after six months ago I guess? It feels like we've all known him forever so I've lost track of time. I've spent so much time with him, despite our obvious differences, he's become one of my best friends in the whole world! Haha, I think I might even be in love with him in some way!"_

Lyon froze. He lost the ability to talk. Think clearly. Make logical sense of the situation. But all he could hear in those words was his worst nightmare coming true. He could feel his throat tighten with a lump forming while tears pricked and stung at the corners of his eyes. He could feel his entire body beginning to tremble. He felt sick to his stomach.

 _"Lyon? You still there? I've...I've really missed you, y'know... I-I'm sorry I was so off when we last spoke but I didn't know-"_

"I have to go" He finally managed to force out, a bit too abruptly. He mentally winced at how rough he sounded.

 _"Wh-What? But there's so much I need to tell you! I can't tell anyone else"._

"You can tell Natsu. Goodbye Gray".

And then he hung up. He ended the call, switched off his phone and slid it underneath his door so Shard could take it back. He then sat at his desk again with a heavy thud, sending the chair back a little bit, and laid his arms crossed on his desk with his face buried in them. The tears finally fell. Finally.

 _"I think I might even be in love with him in some way!"_ The terrible words ran around his head. He'd been replaced, in more ways than one. Lyon mockingly gave a small chuckle to himself as he lifted his head slightly and sniffled.

"You're so stupid..." He told himself. "Why did you think you could be the one he'd want? He has someone else now. Natsu... Natsu who's going to the freaking movies with him for crying out loud. Did you ever do that with him? No. Did you ever think of that? Nope! This entire crush was doomed from the start and you knew it. But no, you just had to try and try again to tell him how you felt. All those interruptions were signs but you still couldn't-"

"Lyon? Is everything okay?" His mother's voice came, slightly muffled, from outside. When he gave no answer, she opened the door a little way and poked her head around. "Lyon?" She needed no words. The moment she saw the evidence that he'd just been crying gave her all the answers she needed. "Oh sweetheart..." She walked over and encouraged him to sit on the bed beside her, hugging him tightly. "Shh...it's okay, baby. Tell me what happened".

"I needed to hear him, Mother...I just needed to hear his voice, that was all. And then he told me about this new friend of his. He's basically my replacement".

"I'm sure that's not true. You're tired and probably just overthinking things for the worst".

"He said he thinks he might be in love with him, Mother! What else was I supposed to think?!" His voice cracked and he bit his lip to halt his cries. The tears were wiped away furiously before they could repaint their earlier trails down his face. "I'd rather stay here until I die and rot than go back and see what I can't have" He whispered when he'd calmed down a little. "All the times I tried to tell him but couldn't, they were signs that I ignored time and time again".

"Lyon, believe me, that boy thinks the world of you just the same way you think the world of him. Trust me when I say you're just exhausted and overthinking the smallest of things. You said he said he might be in love with this new guy, right? That's the keyword right there, Lyon; _might._ There's no definite in that. You'll have your chance, honey, I'm sure of it" Shard's voice was gentle as she gently ran her fingers through her son's hair comfortingly.

"You really think I have a chance with him, don't you...?"

"Not think. Believe".

There was a comfortable silence between the two before Lyon muttered a small "thank you" and pulled away from his mother's embrace. She patted his shoulder gently. "Get some much needed rest, alright? I'll tell your father, when he gets back, that you finished your studying for the day early". Lyon simply nodded and waited until she left him be to get changed and climb into bed.

* * *

Finally he was home. Home back in the town he had known for so long. Where his friends were. Where the love of his life was. But now also where this _Natsu_ guy was... He shook his head to clear his mind of darkened thoughts. He was going to make himself ill if he kept imagining scenarios where Natsu would be the one to sweep Gray off his feet instead of himself. He'd imagined their stupid trip to the movies the night that Gray had told him about it over the phone, despite not knowing what Natsu looked like but he made a mental image in his head of someone far superior than him.

They'd be sitting there together, in a near enough empty cinema room, a bag of popcorn between them to share while the movie played uninterestingly in front of them. The movie on the large screen would be their only source of light in the otherwise pitch black room. Who cared what the movie was? Not them, for sure. They would be sneaking adoring glances at one another and catch one another's eyes in the dark as their hands accidently-not-so-accidentally touched just above the popcorn. They would blush, Gray more so, and then they would look away again. Then it would happen again, but this time Natsu would take hold of Gray's hand with a smile. Gray would smile back shyly and then lean over to experimentally peck Natsu on the cheek. The hand-holding would not break. When Natsu would realise the popcorn was no more, he would move the barrier aside and slip his arm around Gray's shoulder, encouraging the other to lay his head on his shoulder. And he would. They'd lock eyes again and both smile sweetly. After a short moment, Natsu would lean in close and capture Gray's lips with his own in a kiss full of everything true love was meant to feel like and represent. Gray would then begin to kiss him back slowly, gently, even teasingly when Natsu's tongue would try to invade his mouth and be blocked. Natsu's free hand would rest on Gray's hip as they met for their second kiss, with Gray's hands resting themselves on the other's chest. Everyone else in the room would ignore the two newly found lovers and Natsu would then pull Gray out of the room - abandoning the movie - and have him pinned up against a wall soon enough. Hands would explore as lips touched places on Gray's body other than his own mouth.

Then Gray would let out a soft moan, and that's when the vision would end. Lyon would never let himself imagine further than that. He had built himself up for a harsh rejection, and he was sure that he would say he was fine if Gray was happy with someone else but then the moment he was alone he would let out all the pain.

He hadn't looked at his phone since it'd been officially handed back to him. He didn't want to see or hear from anyone he had seen over a year ago. Not right now. And then there was still the Natsu issue. How was he meant to deal with that? And the way he'd been with Gray...God he felt horrible. His phone was turned on and sat on his desk while he laid on his bed reading a good book. _Fury of the Night_ is what it was called. He could very well hear his phone going off with multiple sound for multiple message types; social media, text messaging, the group chat, missed phone calls, etc. etc.

When the device finally fell silent, did Lyon glance over in it's general direction. He hesitated before he sighed and marked his page with a bookmark before setting the book aside and getting up to grab hold of his phone. He walked back to bed and flopped down, sitting cross-legged near the edge as he unlocked the phone and looked through his alerts.

There were several messages from Gray. Most of them sounded upset or contained a frowny face emoji, some with a teardrop and some without. It broke Lyon's heart. But when he saw he had a voicemail from his crush, he listened intently and he'd never felt his heart hurt so much before.

 _"Lyon? I'm really sorry. Whatever it is I did, I...I'm really sorry. I didn't mean to make you mad or upset or angry o-or whatever, honest... It's been so hard. This past year and the few months following it have been the worst. I know when we spoke it didn't seem like it because of Natsu but I- ... ...I-I've never felt more lonely in my entire life..."_ Lyon could hear Gray's voice break at the end, and there was an uncomfortable silence before his eyes widened as he could evidently hear Gray begin to cry. _"...I r-really need y-you Lyon... I need you to c-come h-home... I-I can't t-take it anymore...!"_ There was another small silence of Gray's sniffling before Lyon heard someone's unfamiliar voice in the background. _"...I have to go... Natsu's here...I don't want to go out now but we made plans ages ago and I can't just ditch him now... I wish it was you instead of him. Dammit...I'm a mess. I... I hope you hear this... I can't wait to see you again, Lyon, if ever..."_

And then message ended.

Lyon's heart was erratic. _kathumpkathumpkathump._ It was painful. He'd never heard Gray sound so broken before in the entirety of knowing him. He looked at the clock; 5:47pm. It was getting late. But he had to see Gray. He had to tell him how he felt. All of it. Starting from how horrid he felt for making him so upset right down to the fact that he loved him with all his heart and would never feel the same about anyone else.

He jumped up and ran downstairs at such a breakneck speed he almost collided right into his mother. He mumbled a quick apology and grabbed his jacket. His hand was on the door handle when Shard's hand landed firmly on his shoulder and pulled him back.

"Lyon, where are you off to? Dinner's going to be ready in about half an hour".

"I need to see him, Mother. I need to let him know that everything's okay! I feel terrible a-and I need to set it right, now. Please... I'll try and be back as soon as I can but this can't wait until tomorrow!" He begged as much as his dignity would allow him, praying it would work.

Shard could see the eagerness and anxiety swimming in her son's eyes and nodded as she took her hand away. "Alright. Take as long as you need, but make sure you come home at a reasonable time".

Lyon nodded and was out the door in a flash, the door slamming shut behind him, and tearing down the street toward where Gray lived as fast as his legs could carry him. He remarkably managed to send him a quick text in advance.

 **Lyon:** I'm home. I'm on my way.

* * *

Before he knew it, he was standing at the top of Gray's driveway trying to catch his breath. Gray stood in the open doorway looking like he couldn't believe Lyon was really there. There was no words said between them. Just the distance of the driveway that Gray began to close slowly and he tentatively walked toward Lyon. He stopped about halfway and despite the dimming light of the sunset, Lyon could see the wetness in his eyes. He noticed the light trembling of the body and the curled fists. Lyon took a small step forward when Gray lowered his head to look away. It got his attention back, and Lyon opened up his arms offering a comforting embrace. Gray wasted no time in running straight into his arms and the two wrapped their arms around one another tightly, desperate not to let go. Gray burrowed his face into Lyon's neck and shoulder joint as the wetness from his eyes escaped. He curled his fingers to tightly hold onto the back of Lyon's jacket and tried to stop the audible sniffle that came out of him. Lyon's hands rested on his back and one moved up to run through black spikes affectionately.

This was the moment Lyon had always dreamed of. Well, one of them at least. It wasn't as if he had never hugged Gray before, of course he had, but it had never been like this. This wasn't the overdue hug of a friendship, and they both knew it. He could feel Gray nuzzle him as he settled and calmed himself down from his tears. His fingers let go of Lyon's jacket and retreated back to just resting on his shoulders as he pulled his head back to look at the slightly taller male.

Lyon smiled as he brushed his thumb under Gray's eyes to rid of the most obvious evidence of his crying. Gray let out a breathless laugh, a brief "heh" with a smile of his own.

"I missed you so much..." The raven whispered into the air. "I'm sorry..." He then looked away but Lyon lifted his chin.

"Don't be stupid, you've nothing to apologise for. I'm the one who should be doing that. I got jealous and my dad was practically overworking me to my death so I wasn't thinking straight. When you mentioned Natsu and...saying you thought you might be in love with him...that's what got me. I put two and two together and got nothing. Honestly, I blame my dad more than anything".

"Why would you get jealous? Natsu wasn't replacing you, he never could. I...I didn't mean that I loved him romantically or anything, I just-"

"Shh... I know now. My mum was right, I really was just tired and overthinking things. None of this your fault Gray, I promise". He then kissed his head and then his face flushed in embarrassment while Gray looked at him with such surprise. "S-Sorry, I, err, just... I... Goddammit..." Lyon took a breath and exhaled forcefully. "Gray? When I said I needed to tell you something during that call, I... I needed to tell you how much you meant to me. _Really_ meant to me. You've given me so, so much to live for and cherish and I honestly don't know how to ever repay you for it. You're my whole world Gray. I care about you more than I have anyone else. The way you make me feel day in and day out is just...it's thrilling. Thrilling that one ordinary person could make me feel this way but, then again, you're not ordinary, are you? I...I've been meaning to tell you this for so long but something always got in the way. And then when I listened to your voicemail, I knew I had to come and see you and just tell you".

"What do you mean...? Are you...?" Gray's question trailed off. The unspoken part was obvious. All Lyon had to do was say what he'd been wanting to say for years.

"I love you, Gray Fullbuster. I've been in love with you for so long that when my dad said we were going away for so long I thought I'd lost you for good... Every time I got you alone, something always ruined it and little by little I began to believe we weren't meant to be, that I'd never have that chance to be with you. You mean absolutely everything to me, I can't express that enough. I..." He lightly exhaled but Gray spoke before he could continue.

"I understand," he said. "I always imagined you pulling me aside just to confess to me. When you left, it hurt so much. I didn't know how to cope for the first few months. I fell into a low depression at one point and it was Natsu who got me back together. I owe him a lot for that alone. You have no idea how happy I was when you called! My father was considering to send me to some sort of therapist or whatever but you made me happy just to hear your voice after so long. I-I'm sorry I couldn't talk much, the plans with Natsu and all...like I said". He chuckled and wrapped his arms tightly around Lyon's neck, the other's arms tightening themselves around his waist.

"Gray, it's time to come inside!" Came the voice of Gray's mother from the doorway that had been left open. Little did the two boys know that she had been watching them from the kitchen window for some time. She was enlightened to see her boy perk up back to his usual self properly. Gray turned and half-pouted at her in an attempt to silently beg to stay with Lyon longer but she just smiled and shook her head. "Come on now, I'm sure Yule and Shard will be wondering where Lyon is if you keep him much longer".

Gray sighed and nodded in agreement as he reluctantly complied. "Alright". He waited for Mika to go back to the kitchen and turned back to Lyon. "Looks like I have to go just to save your skin, heh. I'll see you tomorrow though, won't I?"

"Of course you will! I love you, you dimwit".

"Heh, yeah? I love you too Lyon Vastia. I always have...you're pretty much the reason I figured out I was into guys more than girls. Like, I still like girls but I feel more attracted to guys... So, kinda a bisexual thing?"

"Doesn't matter. You're you. I. Love. _You._ See?" Lyon chuckled while Gray laughed lightly. He then pressed a kiss to his forehead and nudged him. "Go on, your mum will throw a fit if the house gets too cold from the door being left open. And my dad will threaten me with curfew if I don't get back".

"Eager to get rid of me? And here I thought you loved me, aww" He pouted mockingly and pulling away with a kiss on the cheek. "See you tomorrow, champ". He winked teasingly and Lyon watched him walk back down the driveway and disappear inside with a final smile.

He then quickly raced back home. Luckily he hadn't been out for too long, even though it had felt like it.

* * *

"Now, if you're writing a story or poem or whatever you like, without truly thinking about it, what is this called?" Mr Justine, the Creative Writing teacher, asked his class in those final five minutes before the end of school bell rang and the students of Fairy Tail High could frolic down the halls and out into the open for the summer break. Everyone was itching for the final minutes to just hurry up.

"Automatic writing, right?" Lucy answered, slightly unsure but willing to answer anyway.

"That's correct, Lucy" Mr Justine nodded approvingly. "The true definition is to not be writing consciously, but it can be taken in slight variations". He then grabbed some papers from the front of his desk and walked around the class, placing two on each desk - one for each occupant. "For your summer homework assignment over the break, I want each of you to produce me at least two pieces of automatic writing - I will be able to tell since you shouldn't be thinking about what you write to a certain extent - that will include two short stories that are very different from one another. You may think of a theme but that is all".

 _Finally_ the bell rang and everyone refused to hesitate as they snatched up their books and shoved them in their bags. Mr Justine just shook his head with a smile and bid his students goodbye as they filed out of the classroom.

Lyon walked side by side with Lucy, Gray (who had taken to holding his hand whenever possible, including under the desk if they sat together in a class), Levy and Natsu down the halls. Lyon had surprised himself by getting along with Natsu so well. He wasn't at all how he'd previously imagined, quite the opposite in fact. He was very optimistic and incredibly energetic. The pink hair had been a startle moment at first but he soon got used to it.

"I can't believe he's making us do homework during summer break," Natsu whined. "Summer break!"

"What do you think your guys' themes will be?" Levy asked.

"How much the timing of this assignment sucks" Gray replied with a smirk which had the small group in a joint laughter.

They continued to walk together before splitting off to each get their final things out of their lockers. They then met back up again outside by the school gates with Erza, Loke and Jellal. The group of best friends (some lovers) then proceeded to walk together, chatting along the way. They would soon end up splitting like with their lockers just to get their way home but Gray and Lyon would stay together the entire time.

Gray was sleeping over at Lyon's for the weekend.

Shard had been made up for her son when he had returned home the evening of his confession, saying that things were finally sorted and that he was happily dating the love of his life. Yule was not so approving of his son, whether it was because of him dating another boy or just dating in general when he should really be "focusing on family" was never made clear.

That had been seven months ago, however.

Yule had learnt to accept their relationship for what it is when he had come home to find Lyon and Gray cuddled together on one of the couches in the lounge. Lyon remembered that he had tightened his hold on Gray protectively when his father's eyes landed on them. He didn't know what would've happened if his mother hadn't stepped in to mildly scold him before he could say a word.

Gray's parents had been equally as pleased as Shard when Gray had come indoors that evening and told them how he had never felt so happy in his life and that he and Lyon were officially dating. Mika had hugged him tightly saying she had always known they'd eventually end up together, and Silver had affectionately told his son he was happy and proud of him, no matter what.

Soon enough it was just Gray and Lyon holding hands as they made their way to Lyon's place.

They walked in a comfortable silence and Lyon let them inside, closing the door behind himself after letting Gray in. He then pulled Gray back by his wrist gently and pushed him against himself. Wrapping his arms around his waist from behind and kissing his neck softly. He kissed up to his jawline and could feel his lover trying to hold himself back. He then chuckled and kissed him on the lips sweetly.

"Too easy" Lyon smirked, letting his other half go and dumping his stuff in it's appropriate place by the door.

"No fair, you know my weak spots" Gray followed suit and walked with him down the halls and up to Lyon's room. There he was picked up and playfully thrown and pinned to the bed. He giggled and slipped his hands free to wrap them around the other's neck and pull him down for a long, breathless kiss as payback.

When they parted, Lyon kissed his nose and smiled down at him. He then moved off him to lay beside him and draped an arm over Gray's side. He then ran the palm of his hand up and down slowly, teasing with his fingertips over Gray's hip which effectively made him squirm. Lyon chuckled and let the other snuggle close to him. He felt a spark when their chests touched, knowing their hearts were beating together. For one another.

"I love you" Lyon whispered caringly.

"I love you too," Gray whispered back. "Are you planning to rock me right tonight~?" There was a purr in his voice.

Lyon chuckled and kissed him. "You know I'll rock you any way you want me to~"

The night couldn't have been more perfect by the time their thoughts came together the next morning.


End file.
